The Friendswood engineering department presented a quarterly update Sept. 8 on multiple drainage and flood-mitigation projects, summarizing work on utility relocations, detention ponds, terracing and a citywide master drainage plan.
Maura Blackburn, a graduate engineer for the city, said six projects were current items for update and that the Friendswood Regional Stormwater Detention Basin project was recommended to use an offline (bridle-bottom) detention approach that avoids wetland and archaeological impacts and provides more than 700 acre-feet of detention capacity. Blackburn said rough grading tied to Galveston County ARPA funds provided roughly 250 acre-feet of detention to date and that final design is anticipated in late 2025 to early 2026.
Blackburn described the Wickham Terracing and Stormwater Detention Basin project as intended to increase conveyance in Clear Creek; upcoming work includes topographic and H&H hydrologic modeling, a bird survey required for environmental compliance, an archaeological survey and geotechnical borings.
Council members pressed staff on how pond mitigation and terracing would be captured in the hydrologic model to ensure no net increase in downstream water-surface elevations; Blackburn and staff said the projects would be adjusted (either more terracing or additional pond mitigation) based on H&H modeling results.
Officials noted broad funding from city drainage bonds (a referenced $42 million bond authorization), $20 million in state funds (with a possible additional $10 million under discussion), $13.5 million from Harris County Flood Control District for a specific project, about $8.5 million from Galveston County ARPA for the FM 1959 project, and roughly $3.5 million from the county consolidated drainage district on the same project. Council discussion placed the aggregate multi-party spending on regional flood projects at a substantial figure over recent years; a staff comment summarized that the program of projects and partner contributions had been in work for about five to six years.
Blackburn also reported on smaller items: a Clear Creek utility relocation project to protect water and sewer lines, the Deepwood Flood Control project (tree and brush removal), city center detention pond excavation, and that the city's comprehensive master drainage plan had robust public participation with more than 60 attendees and modeling underway.
Council members recognized the scale of multi-jurisdictional collaboration, and staff said they are coordinating with Harris County Flood Control District, Galveston County, the Galveston County Consolidated Drainage District and neighboring League City on design and funding next steps.
No formal council action was taken; the presentation provided technical updates, funding accounting, and next steps for design and environmental compliance.